EDH Optimizer
The Lord of Pain
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin · 3BR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
The Lord of Pain is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Menace
Your opponents can't gain life.
Whenever a player casts their first spell each turn, choose another target player. The Lord of Pain deals damage equal to that spell's mana value to the chosen player.
Reference price of the card: €7.45
Comes in the precon Endless Punishment
Average lands in decks for The Lord of Pain: 36
Group SlugBurnGroup HugChaosLifegainAggroTreasureForced Combat
Build your The Lord of Pain deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Lord of Pain 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Lord of Pain deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: B (66/100)
- Consistency47
- Speed58
- Interaction41
- Resilience75
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 5 Swamp, 5 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Blasphemous Act · Kaervek the Merciless · Vial Smasher the Fierce · Rakdos Charm · Rakdos Signet · Talisman of Indulgence · Basilisk Collar · Chaos Warp · Mogis, God of Slaughter · Kederekt Parasite · Lightning Greaves · Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls · Bedevil · Razorkin Needlehead · Kardur, Doomscourge · Spiteful Visions · Stormfist Crusader · Dark Ritual · Wound Reflection · Brash Taunter · Painful Quandary · Solphim, Mayhem Dominus · Fellwar Stone · Gleeful Arsonist · Descent into Avernus · Fate Unraveler · Feed the Swarm · Harsh Mentor · Sign in Blood · Mind Stone · Scrawling Crawler · Blood Seeker · Sadistic Shell Game · Terminate · Thought Vessel · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Rakdos, Lord of Riots · Rampaging Ferocidon · Swiftfoot Boots · Fiery Emancipation · Massacre Wurm · Withering Torment · Exquisite Blood · Phyrexian Arena · Infernal Grasp · Sheoldred, the Apocalypse · Grab the Prize · Mask of Griselbrand · Blood for the Blood God! · Star Athlete · Underworld Dreams · Blood Artist · Deadly Rollick · Deflecting Swat · Heartless Hidetsugu · Nightshade Harvester · Solemn Simulacrum · Spiked Corridor // Torture Pit · Twinflame Tyrant · Vandalblast · Florian, Voldaren Scion · Command Tower · Dragonskull Summit · Smoldering Marsh · Tainted Peak · Sulfurous Springs · Foreboding Ruins · Graven Cairns · Blood Crypt · Witch's Clinic · Shadowblood Ridge · Exotic Orchard · Blazemire Verge · Luxury Suite · Temple of Malice · Haunted Ridge · Blackcleave Cliffs · Bojuka Bog · Bloodstained Mire · Spinerock Knoll · Canyon Slough · Bloodfell Caves · Shivan Gorge · Leechridden Swamp · Rakdos Carnarium · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Evolving Wilds
🃏 Recommended cards for The Lord of Pain
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Lord of Pain, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Vial Smasher the Fierce | 67% | +61% |
| Kaervek the Merciless | 70% | +59% |
| Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls | 57% | +51% |
| Basilisk Collar | 59% | +48% |
| Mogis, God of Slaughter | 59% | +48% |
| Kederekt Parasite | 58% | +46% |
| Wound Reflection | 48% | +43% |
| Spiteful Visions | 51% | +42% |
| Razorkin Needlehead | 54% | +42% |
| Stormfist Crusader | 51% | +39% |
| Painful Quandary | 46% | +39% |
| Witch's Clinic | 46% | +38% |
| Brash Taunter | 47% | +37% |
| Solphim, Mayhem Dominus | 46% | +36% |
| Gleeful Arsonist | 45% | +34% |
| Kardur, Doomscourge | 52% | +34% |
| Fate Unraveler | 42% | +34% |
| Harsh Mentor | 40% | +33% |
| Descent into Avernus | 42% | +32% |
| Sadistic Shell Game | 36% | +32% |
| Scrawling Crawler | 39% | +30% |
| Blood Seeker | 37% | +28% |
| Fiery Emancipation | 34% | +28% |
| Rakdos, Lord of Riots | 35% | +28% |
💰 The best cards for your The Lord of Pain deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Kaervek the Merciless
- Spiteful Visions
- Stormfist Crusader
- Painful Quandary
- Brash Taunter
- Kardur, Doomscourge
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Vial Smasher the Fierce
- Basilisk Collar
- Mogis, God of Slaughter
- Kederekt Parasite
- Wound Reflection
- Razorkin Needlehead
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
- Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
- Descent into Avernus
- Exquisite Blood
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- Twinflame Tyrant
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Lord of Pain
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Lord of Pain's color identity?
The Lord of Pain is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does The Lord of Pain come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Lord of Pain deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.9 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 95 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 29 % of the time and floods 16 %. Deck health: B (66/100).
How many lands should a The Lord of Pain deck run?
Real The Lord of Pain decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for The Lord of Pain?
The three highest-synergy cards are Vial Smasher the Fierce, Kaervek the Merciless, Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Lord of Pain decks.
What combos does The Lord of Pain have?
The Lord of Pain has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a The Lord of Pain deck cost?
You can start cheap: Kaervek the Merciless, Spiteful Visions, Stormfist Crusader are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.